Haskovo town council will vote on whether to ask the state for free management of the Alexandrovo tomb and its murals. Mayor Stanislav Dechev proposed the move in a report posted on the council's website.

The request is for 10 years. Besides the tomb, it covers the Thracian Art in the Eastern Rhodopes museum centre, and the street and car park next to it.

Dechev says that with management rights for that period, the town could apply for money under the Regional Development Programme 2021–2027, cross-border cooperation programmes and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The report says Haskovo needs official management rights to the property to qualify as a beneficiary of the current programmes. That way, outside funds can come in without putting a heavy load on the town budget.

The properties are public state property. Under the proposal, the Regional History Museum in Haskovo would handle security, upkeep, repairs and use of the museum centre, the street and the car park. Access control, cleaning and tourist services, such as souvenirs and information materials, would be in one place.

The town says it will cover the costs of running and maintaining the site itself. The money will come from the town budget, from tourism income and from funding raised under international programmes and EU funds.

The report also says the museum complex needs joint management. It lists as options for development adding augmented reality to the 3D virtual tours that already exist for the original tomb, and seeking money to upgrade digital services under the relevant parts of the EU programmes.

The original tomb is closed to protect the murals. Visitors see an exact replica in the museum centre, whose building was put up with a donation from the government of Japan. The interactive terminals and the audio guide in several languages there were made under the joint project "Young Voices, Ancient Wisdom" by the Regional History Museum in Haskovo and the Vučedol Culture Museum in the Croatian city of Vukovar.

The council chair has yet to set a date for the meeting. If councillors back the proposal, the town will start a procedure with the state to take over management free of charge for 10 years.